OPEN LETTER TO
THE CHART POLSKI PEOPLE

About the importance of the PRA examination

Testing on PRA in Chart Polski

Esther Müller Bloch

Stella Venatoris kennel

chartpolski-ch @ gmx.ch

 

 

Dear Chart Polski breeders,

I speak to you as a human medical doctor with skills in reproduction and as a Chart Polski breeder myself. As you know, the Warsaw University gives us the extraordinary chance to have our dogs tested on PRA. PRA is a disease of the eyes that makes dogs blind, when genetically inherited by both parents. For the first time now, an institution gives us the possibility to select dogs for breeding wise in future. In my eyes we should take this chance and let our dogs be tested.

Not only the aim of breeding should be a healthy population, but also going on with breeding with concerned dogs will end in a bad reputation of the breed and the kennels. With the possibility of word wide web for everybody it is no more possible to hide concerned dogs. Especially in Middle Europe, Scandinavian countries, USA, and Canada, the problem is highly known and discussed by people. It is now the time to face the problem. We cannot stick on the past, what breeders did in past is done, they maybe did not know better, the disease was maybe not known by everybody and I am sure the breeders only wanted the best for their dogs. But now time changed, we have more information about the illness and we have to reevaluate what population we have and make the best out of it.

In Germany people with Sloughi had the same problem a few years ago. It was possible in Germany to motivate breeders to have the dogs tested. They now have a healthy population of Sloughi and can select breeding partners with the good conscious and without the fear, that very promising puppies could get blind, when they are adult.

As we all love our dogs very much, it should be possible also in Chart Polski breeders to have the wisdom to do the same. It is a good thing for our future as breeders and for the dogs. So I would like to try to make you think about the decision, whether to test or not. In my eyes, no serious Chart Polski breeders can say no about testing. People will think, you have something to hide.

 

For further information please contact Mrs Renata Matusik-Siery: [email protected]

 

I hope I could convince some of you which is the right way into future.

Yours sincerely,

Esther Müller Bloch

Kennel Stella Venatoris

Switzerland

 

 

Updated: November 18th 2008